Chapter 14

Feelings Defined

Point of View: Kairi

--

"So, don't you think bringing in the Ferris wheel is a great idea?" Candice asked me over the counter as I handed her a double scoop of chocolate ice cream in the usual crispy cone.

I filled my own cone with two scoops of plain vanilla, licking it as I returned to her, "Of course! It'll add the perfect finishing touch to make a romantic atmosphere for the couples!"

"Why can't you guys bring in a rollercoaster or something fast?" Brent asked as he emerged from the back, peeling off his transparent gloves.

"Because," Candy started, using the tone that suggested she would use some sort of scientific reasoning to answer his question, "We are expecting snow this year, unusual, yes, and we don't want anyone to feel sick; the brain freeze and the hurling? A little too much for us."

I glanced over at Brent, who was keeping himself busy with his own ice cream cone, and obviously paying no attention everything Candice was saying. I smiled at his ignorance. It was late in this Friday afternoon, all of our classes were over, and since Jade had appointed and entrusted the two of us with a key, the three of us decided to loaf about the little parlor. Of course we still paid our share of the ice cream we were eating; after all, we weren't such thieves!

"So..." Brent started on a new, though closely related subject, "Any of you girls got a date for the occasion?"

This fresh topic brought up a dark blush to my face. I took a glimpse at Candy's expression. Strangely enough, she didn't seem embarrassed, or flushed in any way! In fact, she looked a bit offended...

"Brent!" she cried, her face still a sweet smile, though, "You'll get nowhere with such a loser pickup line!"

I giggled at this and pointed at him, this time, he was the one with the blush. I flashed Candice a toothy smile as we continued to joke around with Brent. We spent another half an hour listening to him trying to impress us. Yes, this was indeed a pleasant waste of my time, but at least we were having fun! Surprisingly, Candice possessed many pointers for him about winning over girls! I wonder where she learns this kind of stuff...

I sighed, as I settled down my laughter. I glanced at my light blue wrist watch.

6:47pm

"Ohmigosh," I muttered as I gathered up all my belongings, and stood up to leave.

"What's wrong?" Candice asked as she finished the last of her cone.

"Oh...it is so late...and we still have all those essays Kiyle wants us to write..." I mumbled as I popped my cone into my mouth...resulting in brain freeze.

"Shoot!" Brent cried as he started to pack up as well.

"What's so wrong?" Candice asked leisurely, "After all, we do have the whole weekend!"

"Okay," I started, pausing for a second, "It's easy for you. Selphie, Tidus, and I are planning to actually have fun this weekend!"

"That sounds nice," Brent pitched in, "We've been working so hard all this time, a little "vacation" sounds nice."

Even Candice had to admit a break of the sort seemed quite relaxing and enjoyable. So, the two of them decided to plan out something for themselves to do! Now back to our little packing situation... Of course Candice started to round up her items, for she did not want to stay in this parlor, no matter how endearing and cozy it was, she was not about to stay here alone. So, the three of us snatched our backpacks, and were quickly out the doors. I glanced once more at my watch.

6:52pm

Goodness, it was late. I sighed in despair as the thought of staying up all night to finish my homework passed through my mind. Candice bid us farewell, as her dwellings led her towards the opposite direction Brent and I went.

"See you tomorrow!" I called to her as we headed off.

"Later!" she called back to me with a couple of energetic waves.

So Brent and I headed off our own way, knowing that a turn in the sidewalk would soon split us too. Our little journey was silent, but we never stopped grinning. I averted my gaze to the beach just to our left. The sun was just about to set. I sighed as memories of the old days loitered about my mind. Sora and me...me and Sora...it was all the same, it was all in the past. Suddenly Brent smiled goofily at me and led me off toward the sandy shores.

"Hey," I started, curious where he was leading me, "Where're we going?"

"The beach obviously!" he answered with the goofy grin Sora would usually give me to melt my heart.

He went faster, and I followed, my pace matching his. Soon, we were running, and I was beside him, feeling free, and as if I had just left all my troubles in a cloud of dust. We were children, frolicking about the sand, not a care in the world, just knowing that it was fun and I now resided in bliss. We finally slowed down as he led me over the pier, my shoes gently clanking on the wooden planks of the dock. He plopped down, and I went down with him, plastered on our faces wide grins.

I laughed, and I was happy. My heart felt content, everything felt alright. There we sat, two close friends watching an amazing day come to an end. The ruby sun slowly sunk into the crystal sea, the sky tainted with colors of the rainbow. Pink and purple clouds littered the lovely sky. The gentle saltwater breezes whisked through my hair, setting off the many strands of auburn flying in all directions. I gently tucked the strands behind my ear. Perhaps this was my happiness...

We looked at each other. I beamed, and he returned the look. I shivered slightly as the cold breeze sent shivers up my spine. He wrapped his arm around he, and I was grateful for his concern and sweetness. I sighed happily as we watched the sunset together.

"Isn't it beautiful?" he asked me, his tone hushed.

"Yeah..." I answered dreamily, my voice low, too.

So this was what he had brought me all the way out here to see. It was truly a magical moment. I felt as if my childhood fantasies, long forgotten, were slowly rekindling. Perhaps my college fantasies weren't just stupid wishful dreams; maybe there really was something wonderful out there for everyone...

"Kairi..." he started, then trailed off.

"Hmm?"

He leaned over, and his lips locked with mine. My eyes widened slightly as our lips met. What was he doing? Suddenly, I broke away, gasping.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, completely surprised.

He turned a deep shade of red, "I-I..."

I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice halted, and no words would expose themselves. The silence cut deep between us. The tension was unmistakable. We both looked away. How could this happen?

"Look, I'm sorry Kairi. I've always liked you as more than just a friend, and today, I was sure you felt the same!" he spilt out, turning away from him.

"Brent..." I sighed, "I do like you, I like you a lot! But—"

"But you have someone waiting for you on the other islands," he finished for me.

Images of Sora appeared in my mind, "No! No, it's just..." I searched my brain for a reason, "I don't think I'm ready for a relationship of this sort."

He nodded, though I doubt he believed any of that crap. But it was partly true. But...would this affect our friendship?

"Hey, Brent?" I asked, "Will anything change between us...?"

He shook his head, "No, nothing will change. I'm sorry if I offended you in any way."

He started to walk away. "No!" I cried, standing up and following him, "You didn't do anything wrong. You were just showing how you felt...and I think...maybe I should be a little more open...more like you."

He smiled, and it hurt me to see that I've saddened him, "Later Kai."

I sighed. Just a second ago, I was sitting in absolute happiness, and now, it was all gone, just like that. What was wrong with me?! Didn't I say myself that I wanted to come and fall in love with some guy on this island? Brent was my friend, and I definitely like him...but I just couldn't... I feel as if that unfinished business, the unfinished business from when I first moved to this island, is returning to claim me.

I sighed as I began to walk home again, my spirits low, and I was defiantly not happy. I had done the right thing... I looked back at the direction Brent had gone. He was but a mere dot now. I sighed once more before lifting my backpack out of the sand I was dragging it in, and pulling it onto my back. Home sounded heavenly right now...

Little did I know, in the shadows was a silhouette, watching everything, and though nothing was really wrong right now, a little mix-up confusion would soon lead to a big misunderstanding...

--

Author's Notes: Gosh, this chapter was confusing for me to write. I started out just saying that Kairi had a lot of homework that she had to finish. But then, I realized, since it was gonna be the same day Sora and Janice met her friends, and so this was kinda like 'Meanwhile...' then it would make no sense for her to worry, since she had the whole weekend! Then, I thought, make it Thursday! Then it's like, well, would Sora really wait almost a week to see his beloved Kairi? Then...I thought, make it Saturday! Then, it's like I just said they were hanging out after school and still, why would Kairi worry about homework? And so...I had to add in all that bull about planning them something to do, and etc. But...maybe this'll all work out! Ha...you guys thought I'd tell you guys what would happen when Sora told Kairi he loved her, and all was right in the world, huh! Well, I just wish you could see me laughing right now...

Yeah, you know, when I first thought of this whole story idea, it was a lot simpler, and I thought it'd be a lot shorter than this. Basically, it was chapter one: intro, chapter two: bring in Janice, chapter three: they pack/they go on the ship, chapter four: the whole Sora-can't say-'I-love-you'-incident, chapter five: Kairi moves in, chapter six: ...it's kinda where we are right now!

So...I kinda added in a lot of unneeded scenes... I just knew Kairi and her new, unknown friends would have to hold a winter carnival, and I had to figure out a reasonable excuse for why she should! So, I gave her the best professor anyone could ask for! And...I didn't plan on even bringing in Janice's old friends into the picture when I first got this idea, I didn't even plan on putting in Janice! I just figured, I'll throw Sora in with some sluty girl, then, I thought, hey, if Kairi and the new girl are friends, I can really make this thing more affective!

Then, I just threw in Sean, because Janet (Janice based on) –'s boyfriend is Sean (but ohmigod, the dude is like three feet tall!!!) and Wendy was this girl he supposedly had a crush on. When we were all talking about her liking Sean, she completely denied it, and then...one week later, she emails me, and says she broke up with her 'Myrtle the turtle' boyfriend (it's a long story...) and says she's totally in love with Sean. But anyways...in the end, she likes him; he likes her, everyone's happy.

Let's see...and Candice looks nothing like the Candy I actually know, and I have no idea what Astaldotholwen looks like, so I thought a little creativity was in need!

Okay...gotta stop talking... Okay, now for reviewer replies... Oh yeah, it'd be a whole lot easier to talk to you if you actually leave a name!

Reviews:

Zanisha: Hey...if I were you, you'd get a cookie! Hot chocolate...sounds nice, but I'm really burning up right now, so ice sounds heavenly... BUT unfortunately my mom just dumped the rest of our ice into her drink! But she gave me a cube! But I just finished it... Gosh, I'm talking about ice...

madcow863: Ah... I've gotta say it's so much fun being a writer...though it's kinda hard to figure out what should go next... But the great thing about being a writer, is that you can be as evil as you want, and leave cliffies right there, out of the blue!!! Hey, so what's going on with your fic?

Ohbaby;: Oh whoops, I meant I'll probably update two or three times a week, but then again, if I'm lazy, or don't feel like writing, I'll probably update only once. Hehe...it's so much fun to mess around with Kairi and Sora's lives! I bet you guys all thought Sora would see Kairi in this chapter, then tell her his feelings, and she'd say she'd feel the same! Well, I have a couple more twists in mind...

Kintora: Maybe it is, maybe it isn't! I have to learn the traditional Chinese, and it's a huge pain to remember all the words, and what's a even bigger pain is that we have a test every week, wait, actually every time I go, since it's just once a week. In the beginning, I just studied on the last day, and I did just fine on the tests, I got an A- for the first semester for probably the first time! But...studying is a pain, and I stopped caring about my grades...so I got horrible scores for my mid terms and finals, and...I got my traditional B...

zilly: I wonder who isn't a fan of SoKairi! Riku and Kairi are just wrong! Well, Janice may provide more than just plain advice to Sora, as you will see in the next chapter! Wait, actually, nothing big's gonna happen in the next chapter...

Infrared Ray: Hey, you're back! Thanks for the heads up, I changed it. Hey, I checked out your profile, and gosh, so many question marks! (well...not that many, but still...)

Astaldotholwen: But seriously, what's the difference between graphic novels, anime, and manga?! Really hope your finger heals fast! So the tip is just gone...? I have a sudden urge to rip my hair out... Gosh, you know when I first say an author sign out 'ja ne' I thought, "Oh, I guess her name is Jane!" Okay, please tell me what it means! I feel like such an idiot saying this, but seriously, it's killing me!!!

classengurl: I know exactly what you mean! Some of the authors are so obvious, it's practically written all over them, "This will happen next..." and I completely lose interest in their stories, but...I don't see those very often anymore! You know, when I first started reviewing anonymously, I always got so psyched out whenever I was mentioned!

Lvkishugs: Hey girl! Yei! I got a dedication from you! Hmm...if no one calls you Barbie...then I'll just have to keep the tradition alive! Hey Barbie! How ya doin' Barbie? Lolz.

Shinimegumi Sky: Your review just made my day! Well, your writing skills sure seem different compared to Fallen Rain (in a good way). Thanks for sticking with this!

HisLight & aliasfan: Yeah, I'm doing you two both together (just this once) 'cause... Have you ever noticed how similar you two are? -smiles creepily- HisLight likes 'My Happy Ending,' and so does aliasfan! You both hate the same veggies! You both like the same ice cream! You're both addicted to Avril Lavigne's songs! (not the same ones, but whatever) Gosh...so similar!

Aurora AustraliasHmm...maybe sometimes I should leave you out on purpose! Whoops, my bad, but seriously, it's been so long since I've been there! Ahh...the future of this fiction...is information that I know...and you don't...and it's gonna stay that way!

Apolla: Oh, at my school, the cafeteria serves these squiggly french fries (that I never eat) with our lunch, so my friends take them for me, and my one friend, Marissa hates ketchup, and my other friend, Jen doesn't, so it's funny to see Jen defend herself from Mari's wrath with a packet of ketchup!

--

Whoohoo! I've hit 100 reviews! (and over!) Thanks to everyone who's stuck with this story! I never thought I'd ever get this far!

♥-aww, isn't this heart thing sweet? This is for all you guys!

♥ Lyphe